Oxfam has worked in Pakistan since 1973. Here are some examples of our current work:

Education for all

In rural areas, boys are three times more likely than girls to complete their primary education. Parents who cannot afford to send all their children to school usually send the boys and keep the girls at home. Literacy rates for women in some rural areas are as low as nine per cent.

We support projects which aim to help girls and women to get at least a primary education. For example, we work with a partner organisation called Khoj, which has developed a special phonetic method of teaching. This innovative method helps young women to learn quickly so that they can catch up on the education they missed and prepare for tenth grade exams within five years. We also support the development and promotion of teaching materials which break gender stereotypes, and lobby the government to ensure that girls are able to go to school.

Improving health

While people in rich countries enjoy the benefits of ever-improving drug treatments, in poor countries 30,000 children die every day because effective medicines are too expensive or simply not available. Oxfam’s international Cut the Cost campaign aims to ensure that poor people have access to medicines that they can afford. In Pakistan, we lobby the government to tackle the World Trade Organisation (WTO) about its policies that disadvantage poor countries.

Tackling violence against women

Domestic violence against women is a serious problem in Pakistan and we try to raise awareness of the issue through street theatre and poster competitions. We fund para-legal training for young girls to help them to negotiate fair marriage contracts and to ensure that they know how to seek help if they need it. We also support legal aid programmes which help women whose rights are being violated.

Emergency relief

Drought and cyclones are a fact of life in many areas of Pakistan but when particularly extreme conditions hit communities, Oxfam provides emergency support to the most vulnerable families. On a longer-term basis, we are working with government and other emergency-relief organisations on strategies will enable communities to limit the most damaging effects of drought and cyclones. We are also supporting families who flee across the border from the conflict in Afghanistan. In 2002 we set up water and hygiene promotion projects in four camps serving more than 50,000 refugees. Some of our work with Afghan families is being developed into longer-term work, such as drop-in centres which give refugee children the chance to have a healthy lunch, to wash, to play, and to go to school.

Last updated: August 03